Traffic - When The Eagle Flies (1974)

Traffic were a British rock band active from the late 60s to the early 70s. Their line-up changed numerous times, but the three constant members throughout their career were the core trio of Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi.

Following their 1973 world tour, Traffic underwent some more lineup changes when bassist David Hood and drummer Roger Hawkins went home to America. They found a new bassist in Rosko Gee, but didn't need to find themselves a new drummer as Jim Capaldi at long last moved back into the drum seat (he had been relegated to percussion for the past few albums). With founding members Steve Winwood (vocals/keyboards/guitars) and Chris Wood (sax/flute), and percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah, this reduced them to a five-man lineup. This was in turn trimmed down to just four, as Rebop was fired during the making of their next album.

When The Eagle Flies came out in 1974, featuring a relaxed jazz-rock sound. It was notable for Winwood expanding his keyboard sounds through the use of Mellotron and Moog synthesizers. Like both their previous studio albums, it was dominated by one lengthy track which formed the centrepiece - "Dream Gerrard" was indeed the highlight of the album, showcasing all the band's instrumental chops (in particular newcomer Rosko Gee's bass). It also featured lyrics from Vivian Stanshall of The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. 

After one final exhausting US tour to support the album, Traffic broke up. Both Winwood and Capaldi went on to see much success with their solo careers. Rosko Gee and Rebop Kwaku Baah joined the German band Can. Chris Wood sadly died whilst working on a solo album in 1983. Winwood and Capaldi later re-united as Traffic for one album in 1994.

On The Road (1973) <|> Far From Home (1994)
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Traffic - On The Road (1973)

Traffic were a British rock band active from the late 60s to the early 70s. Their line-up changed numerous times, but the three constant members throughout their career were the core trio of Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi.

In 1973 Traffic embarked on a world tour, at that time with the lienup of Steve Winwood (keyboards/guitar/vocals), Chris Wood (sax/flute), Jim Capaldi (percussion/drums/vocals), Rebop Kwaku Baah (percussion), David Hood (bass) and Roger Hawkins (drums). They took with them an extra keyboard player, Barry Beckett, who was a colleague of Hood and Hawkins (the three of them being being the owners and house band of the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama)

A live album came out of the tour, and On The Road was released later the same year. It featured a small selection of songs, all drawn out to considerable lengths, showcasing the abilities of the talened lineup with lots of jamming. Winwood was the star of the show of course, leading the band through a selection of tunes mostly from their most recent studio release (Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory). Capaldi's vocals were featured on his own "Light Up Or Leave Me Alone", but elsewhere he only performed as a percussionist (though he did take the drum seat on "(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired").

However by the end of the tour change was again on the cards for Traffic, as Hood and Hawkins finished their brief sojourn with the band and returned to America.

Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory (1973) <|> When The Eagle Flies (1974)
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Traffic - Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory (1973)

Traffic were a British rock band active from the late 60s to the early 70s. Their line-up changed numerous times, but the three constant members throughout their career were the core trio of Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi.

After a brief period of inactivity due to Steve Winwood falling ill, Traffic got back together in late 1972. Winwood, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi had to put together a new lineup, as bassist Rich Grech and drummer Jim Gordon had left, with only percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah staying with them. They found their new rhythm section in David Hood (bass) and Roger Hawkins (drums), part of the famed Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Capaldi had recently recorded his solo debut at Muscle Shoals, where he had met Hood and Hawkins. The new lineup started work on a new album, which was released in January 1973.

Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory consisted of only five song (each at well over five minutes in length), which were for the most part darker in character than any of their previous output. Alongside four Winwood/Capaldi songs was a rare Chris Wood composition, the horn-based instrumental "Tragic Magic", with guest appearances from Hood and Hawkins' Muscle Shoals colleagues Barry Beckett and Jimmy Johnson. The other standout track was the lengthy, complex "Roll Right Stones", the most prog-rock the band had gone to date.

Even more so than on the previous album, Capaldi's contributions were diminishing, being listed in the credits as performing just percussion and backing vocals (in a band that featured both a drummer and another full-time percussionist). Though perhaps with a promising solo career now begun he had other things on his mind.

The album was a #5 hit in the US, and soon after its release the band started on a world tour to promote it.

The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys (1971) <|> On The Road (1973)
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Traffic - The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys (1971)

Traffic were a British rock band active from the late 60s to the early 70s. Their line-up changed numerous times, but the three constant members throughout their career were the core trio of Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi.

The big seven-man lineup of Traffic that appeared on Welcome To The Canteen was short-lived, as founding member Dave Mason departed for the third and final time in 1971. However the three new additions to the band remained, giving them the lineup of Steve Winwood (vocals/keyboards/guitar), Chris Wood (sax/flute), Jim Capaldi (percussion/vocals), Ric Grech (bass/violin), Rebop Kwaku Baah (percussion) and Jim Gordon (drums). The band's new studio album came out the same year.
The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys refined the group's blend of genres, resulting in an excellent and distinctive fusion of progressive rock, folk and jazz. It had only six songs, but they were long and complex, most notably the title track, which extended to over eleven minutes with a succession of instrumental solos. Though there were six members, bandleader Winwood was handling a large portion of the instruments, playing all the guitars and keyboards himself, as well as singing. Meanwhile Capaldi's role as a musician was lessening, though he did write or co-write most of the material, and also got to sing lead vocals on two songs.
The album didn't chart in the UK, but over in the US it got to #7, and went gold the next year. However this artistic highpoint of the band was not to last, as before the year was out both Grech and Gordon had departed. Shortly after this Winwood was taken ill, and Traffic ground to a standstill.

Welcome To The Canteen (1971) <|> Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory (1973)
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Traffic - Welcome To The Canteen (1971)

Traffic were a British rock band active from the late 60s to the early 70s. Their line-up changed numerous times, but the three constant members throughout their career were the core trio of Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi.

After what was supposed to be Steve Winwood's first solo album turned into a Traffic reunion (John Barleycorn Must Die), the band reunited and went on tour, adding a fourth member in bassist Ric Grech (originally of the band Family, he had recently played with Winwood in Blind Faith). Then in 1971 they expanded further with drummer Jim Gordon (best known as a member of Derek & The Dominos) and percussionsit Rebop Kwaku Baah, plus an old friend - founding member Dave Mason. Traffic had always before been stretched thin over just four (or three) members, but with this new talented seven-man line-up they promised to be a spectacular live unit. They went on tour in '71, and their next album was a live one.
Welcome To The Canteen had just six tracks, a song from each of their first three albums, plus two Dave Mason numbers which had recently appeared on his solo debut, and a new arrangement of the Spencer Davis Group classic "Gimme Some Lovin'". Winwood and Mason were the stars throughout, the former on keyboards and the latter on guitar, though they both traded guitar solos on the 11-minute "Dear Mr Fantasy" jam. Mason sang lead on his two songs, which proved perfectly suited to be given the Traffic treatment. Strangely, Jim Capaldi, the original drummer and percussionist of the group, was relegated to tambourine, as two of the new members had between them stolen his job.
Though it could be accused of not having the best sound quality, Welcome To The Canteen is an excellent album, showing what the new big Traffic line-up could do. It was actually a flop in the UK, but in the US managed to get to #26. The new line-up would not last though, as after just six performances Mason left the band again, for the third and last time.

John Barleycorn Must Die (1970) <|> The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys (1971)
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Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die (1970)

Traffic were a British rock band active from the late 60s to the early 70s. Their line-up changed numerous times, but the three constant members throughout their career were the core trio of Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi.

Traffic originally broke up in early 1969, with Steve Winwood going on to form the short-lived super group Blind Faith with Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Ric Grech. After that band’s dissolution, he was back by himself and working on a solo record. His old Traffic bandmates Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood were brought in to help, and in the end it became a Traffic reunion album (though without Dave Mason). It proved to be their most mature and consistent record to date, with a sophisticated fusion of rock, jazz and folk music. The title track was an arrangement of a traditional English folk song, and the other five songs were written either by Winwood alone or by Winwood and Capaldi. It was a success, getting to #11 on the UK album charts, and #5 in the US.
However a closer look at the personnel of John Barleycorn Must Die reveals something interesting - despite being released under the Traffic name, it actually almost is a Steve Winwood solo album. As well as singing all lead vocals and writing all the music, he played pretty much all the instruments himself. Capaldi only drummed on four out of the six songs, and Wood’s sax and flute are only on three of them. Almost all of the instruments you hear are played by Winwood. If it had been released under his name, it would surely have been hailed as a fantastic start to a solo career (which otherwise didn’t begin until 1977), showcasing his diverse talents as singer, songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist.

Last Exit (1969) <|> Welcome To The Canteen (1971)
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Traffic - Last Exit (1969)

Traffic were a British rock band active from the late 60s to the early 70s. Their line-up changed numerous times, but the three constant members throughout their career were the core trio of Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi.

Sometime in late '68 or early '69, Traffic was reduced again to the trio of Winwood, Wood and Capaldi after Dave Mason left for a second time, but then the band actually did break up fully. However one last album came out from the original incarnation - Last Exit was released in 1969, and was a collection of odds and ends released after the breakup. The first side consisted of studio tracks - a forgotten non-charting 1968 single and its b-side ("Medicated Goo" / "Shanghai Noodle Factory"), a couple more b-sides and an instrumental outtake. These songs were in the psychedelic art-rock style of their first two albums. The second side of the record was taken up by two lengthy live songs, recorded when the band were performing as a trio. As of such they feature a minimilistic instrumental lineup of organ, sax and drums, and showcase the live jamming side of the band at this stage in their career.
It's worth noting that Dave Mason only actually appears on one of the songs, "Just For You", which was actually a b-side to a solo single he had released in 1968.
Last Exit marked the end of the first incarnation of Traffic. Steve Winwood went on to be part of the short-lived supergroup Blind Faith. However, the Traffic story was far from over...

Traffic (1968) <|> John Barleycorn Must Die (1970)
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Traffic - Traffic (1968)

Traffic were a British rock band active from the late 60s to the early 70s. Their line-up changed numerous times, but the three constant members throughout their career were the core trio of Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi.

Shortly after their first few singles and their debut album, founding Traffic member Dave Mason left the band momentarily. Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi went on without him, but before long he had returned, in time to record their second album.
The self-titled Traffic was a progression from their debut. It toned down the psychedelic flairs which had arguably marred Mr Fantasy somewhat, and the result was a stronger, more accessible record - a fusion of rock, jazz, R&B, folk, pop, and still a reasonable dose of psychedelia. Though Mason had returned, he contributed little to the songs of the others, and so the record is split between those written and sung by Mason and those written by the other three (and sung by Winwood). Nevertheless, it still resulted in a smooth, coherent album. Like before, the band revelled in their multi-instrumental ability... between the four of them they played electric and acoustic guitars, bass, Hammond organ, piano, harpsichord, sax, flute, harmonica, drums and percussion. Certain songs showed off their jazzy instrumental abilities, others hinted at their folkier side, whilst a few rocked quite hard.
The most notable song on the album was Mason's "Feelin' Alright". Though it wasn't a hit for Traffic, it was soon being covered by numerous other artists (including Joe Cocker, Three Dog Night and Rare Earth) and has endured to this day as a classic song.
The album reached #9 in the UK charts, and also broke into the top 20 in the US (which Mr Fantasy had failed to do). However despite its success, Mason left the band again around the time of its release. The other three members went on to tour America as a trio, but then announced Traffic's breakup. But it didn't last long...

Mr Fantasy (1967) <|> Last Exit (1969)
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Traffic - Mr Fantasy (1967)

Traffic were a British rock band active from the late 60s to the early 70s. Their line-up changed numerous times, but the three constant members throughout their career were the core trio of Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi.

After the success of their first three singles, Traffic began work on their debut album. All four members could play lots of instruments, and this was exploited the most on this first album. Steve Winwood played piano, organ, guitar, bass, harpsichord and percussion, Dave Mason played guitar, bass, mellotron, sitar and tumbura, Chris Wood played flute, sax, organ and percussion, and Jim Capaldi handled the drums and other percussion. The songwriting credits are shared between those written by Winwood, Capaldi and Wood together (sung by Winwood) and those by Dave Mason alone (which he sang).
Mr Fantasy was very much a product of the studio, with the band using overdubs and tape manipulation to produce a rich tapestry of instruments and sounds (under the guidance of their producer Jimmy Miller). The result was some seriously weird psychedelia, and remains the 'weirdest' thing they ever recorded. It was 1967, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band had just been released, and its influence showed. Mr Fantasy represents a very British style of 60s psychedelic pop, with elements of jazz and pastoral folk perceptible under the surface. The finished product wasn't exactly commercial sounding, and didn't have any hit singles, though the song "Dear Mr Fantasy" became one of the best-known numbers and the album itself did actually manage to crack the top 10 in the UK.

Early Singles (1967) &<|> Traffic (1968)
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Traffic - Early Singles (1967)

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Traffic were a British rock band active from the late 60s to the early 70s. Their line-up changed numerous times, but the three constant members throughout their career were the core trio of Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi.

Their first line-up consisted of keyboardist/guitarist Steve Winwood (who had found fame at a young age in the Spencer Davis Group), woodwind player Chris Wood, drummer Jim Capaldi and guitarist Dave Mason. Before their first album, they released two classic singles - “Paper Sun” and “Hole In My Shoe”, the former sang by Winwood and the latter by Mason. Stylistically they are typical of the experimental British psychedelia of the time, featuring sitars, flutes, mellotrons and other diverse instrumentation as well as bizarre studio trickery. "Paper Sun" reached #5, whilst "Hole In My Shoe" managed to get to #2. Also included here is the latter’s non-album B-side “Smiling Phases” and the title song they recorded for the film Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush (which got to #8 on the singles chart). The first three tracks were put on the US issue of their debut album, but none of them are on the original UK version.

|> Mr Fantasy (1967)

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